Colin Firth to lead star studded cast in Paddington Bear film

Studiocanal has revealed the star studded cast of the first ever Paddington Bear feature to hit the big screen, with Colin Firth taking the lead role of the eponymous hero.

The first ever live action film inspired by Michael Bond's best selling books, will star BAFTA Award nominee Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) as Mr Brown, Nicole Kidman as the evil taxidermist determined to wreak her revenge, and Jim Broadbent as Mr Gruber an antique store owner.

Academy Award nominee Julie Walters will play Mrs Bird and Sally Hawkins will take on the role of Mrs Brown.

Produced by David Heyman, Paddington is being helmed by twice BAFTA nominated director Paul King. Principal photography for the new film is set to get underway this month, while the final cut will hit UK cinema screens on November 28th next year.

David Heyman said: "It's a great honour to be able to bring Michael Bond's beloved character to the big screen.

"I am hugely excited to be working with Paul King, whose imagination, flair, and sense of wit and wonder, make him the ideal director.

"And I am thrilled that we now have such an exceptional cast to bring the story of Paddington Bear to life."

The story follows the adventures of a young Peruvian bear with a passion for Britain, who travels to London in search of a home.

Oliver Courson, Studiocanal chairman and CEO, said: "We're very happy to announce all of this good news at the same time. We've been developing the film with David Heyman for a while.

"Starting the shoot with such a great cast is a dream come true. And we are thrilled to have Harvey and Bob Weinstein joining us in the adventure."

The film will be released wide in North America by The Weinstein company Dimension in the first quarter of 2015.

Co-chairmen of the Weinstein Company, Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein, added: "We have both always loved the stories of paddington Bear and the amazing library of work from David Heyman.

"This film has the sensibilities of classic filmmaking as well as commercial appeal. We are excited to partner with Sudiocanal and look to this as a potential future franchise, bringing this long time cherished character to the big screen for the first time."